• The official blog of Abacus Group — a place to share our knowledge and thoughts on trends in recruiting •

October 09, 2018

5 Tips for Perfecting Your Tech Resume

“It’s important to build a personal brand because it’s the only thing you’re going to have. Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you’ve got to be a good person. You can’t hide anything, and more importantly, you’ve got to be out there at some level.” -Gary Vaynerchuk of VaynerMedia

An individual’s resume is essentially a flyer promoting and broadcasting their personal brand. It should come as no surprise that a resume needs to not only portray your candidacy in the best light but also needs to stand out against other candidates. Given that resume styles vary across industries, tech resumes must be geared towards the sector regardless of whether or not the role to which you are applying is generic.

1. Quantify the Results of Your Accomplishments

Quantifying results validates them and sets margins of comparison between you and other applicants. It shows the impact you created whilst in your previous role. Rather than merely saying you reduced server response time, mention how and by how much. How much money did you save your company? You don’t need to get caught up in specifics but certainly, give enough so that the person reading your resume is impressed and intrigued.

2. Target your Resume

It should be clear to the person reading your resume that you made a conscious effort to tailor your resume to the specific job. Use keywords from the job posting or if that’s not available to you, use keywords from a job description of a similar role in a similar space.

3. Hold off on the Tech Speak

It’s likely that your resume will pass through the hands of non-tech professionals before reaching your direct, or senior colleagues. Your resume should be understood by recruiters and HR professionals. Save the technical lexicon for the right audience when the time comes.

4. Know What to Emphasize

If you haven’t got a lot of work experience but went to a renowned school, highlight that. As you progress in your professional life, the education section of your resume will get smaller but until then, be sure to emphasize your selling points outside of previous experience if that isn’t as applicable.

5. Show Off Your Skills

Tech is very heavily a skills-based industry so be sure to highlight your skills, technical and otherwise. If this section seems quite bare, that should be motivation to enhance your skills during the job search process. Showing that you are in the process of obtaining new skills will only work in your favor and prove you to have a thirst for knowledge and be proactive in nature.